The 27-year-old Joshua, who recorded a ideal 19th professional win, said he had to show character to beat his more experienced opponent but warned his rivals that he will only get better.
The bout drew a record post-war British boxing crowd of 90,000 at Wembley.
The Ukrainian had also been sent crashing to the floor in the fifth round as the 27-year-old British fighter took his ideal record to 19 stoppage wins in 19 fights. I say gentlemen, because boxing came from England.
Yet, although a 14-year age gap and Joshua's fitness, strength and power eventually saw him floored twice and finally rescued by the referee in the 11th round, Klitschko still felt like a victor at the end of an exhilarating evening. Klitschko was the first to drop in the fifth round, but he rallied to put Joshua on the canvas in the following round with a punishing left hook.
"As boxing states, you leave your ego at the door and you respect your opponent".
At just 27, you'd forgive Joshua for being a little daunted by the prospect of facing someone with Klitschko's resume (he's a former world champion and Olympic gold medallist).
Making the third defence of his IBF title, he also became the WBA champion after recovering from the first knockdown of his career to impressively win at Wembley Stadium.
The eleventh round knockout was all the more remarkable after Klitschko sent Joshua to the floor in the sixth and dominated the exchanges from there.
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After the fight, Klitschko wouldn't confirm that he would take a rematch - neither, for that matter, would promoter Eddie Hearn - but he was complimentary of his opponent.
"Yet there's so much more improvement to come". It's really sad that I didn't make it tonight.
"They're two very different fighters", he said. I just want to fight everyone.
"But when you talk about legacy there are markets and boundaries that he (Joshua) wants to break".
Joshua revealed he has no big celebration plans and will spend time with his mum, Yeta, at her council flat in Golders Green in London.
"He'd looked like he'd nearly run out of ideas and he was done and just somehow found something from within to come back and knock out Wladimir Klitschko". I was planning to do it - it didn't work - but all the respect to Anthony, congratulations.
Growing up on the Meriden Estate in Garston, Hertfordshire, Joshua was called "Femi" by his friends and former teachers, due to his middle name "Oluwafemi".
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